Jason's Experience
Strategies in Action
In these business stories, Jason shares some of the biggest challenges he has faced, reveals the strategies he adopted and reflects on what the outcomes were.
Leading Through Crisis: How Agility and Innovation Transforms
The Challenge
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the aviation industry had a predictable yet cyclical operating environment. Its safety-critical nature demanded strict compliance and rigidity. While evolving demands of the industry signalled the need for increased flexibility and adaptability, the pandemic accelerated this shift, presenting unprecedented challenges.
As the nation's air traffic management and aviation rescue firefighting service provider, Airservices Australia needed to maintain uninterrupted 24/7 safety critical operations, irrespective of the low and fluctuating air traffic volumes brought about by the pandemic. It was mid-2020 and the organisation had to adapt while operating—essentially building the plane while flying it.
Actionable Steps in the Face of Crisis
When the pandemic struck, Airservices encountered >80% drop in revenue due to the steep decline in international and domestic air traffic. Given these financial constraints, I needed to concentrate everyone on maintaining and preserving core services while avoiding layoffs, stand-downs, and pay cuts wherever possible.
It was about managing the present crisis, being ready to manage a recovery, and making decisions that wouldn't hamper the organisation in the future. Initiatives of this strategy included:
- Workforce: A Retirement Incentive Scheme available to operational staff, eligible to retire during the height of the pandemic in 2021, to help manage workforce demographics and address a significant age-related transition (more than 35% of operational staff were over the age of 50), while ensuring continuity through a pipeline of new recruits. In addition, a general voluntary redundancy scheme was open to back-office staff.
- Investment in Innovation: Sustaining the long-term investment pipelines by prioritising projects like digital transformation and drone integration to support emerging aviation needs that would be critical in a post pandemic operating environment.
- Operational Resilience: Strategic roster and service provision adjustments with disciplined resource management to allow the continuation of delivering essential services while preparing for recovery and future growth.
The Results Amid Challenges
This strategy ensured continuity, stability, and progress along with important outcomes including:
- Diversity and Inclusion: The Retirement Incentive Scheme addressed workforce age-related transition challenges, including increasing the proportion of female air traffic controllers from 15% to a projected 25% over the following 5 years.
- Operational Continuity: Services were maintained, and workforce commitments were honoured including pay rises, with no layoffs or stand downs.
- Futureproofing Through Innovation: Continued investments in digital and emerging technologies positioned the organisation for enhanced agility and competitiveness in the post pandemic operating environment.
Universal Insights
Managing the organisation during an unprecedented pandemic reinforced the importance of balancing short-term crisis management with long-term organisational resilience. The unpredictability of air traffic recovery accentuated the challenge of workforce planning in a volatile environment. While initial strategies were designed with available forecasts, the reality of inconsistent rapid traffic surges and declines highlighted the need for adaptable workforce solutions. The organisation’s ingrained safety culture ensured that, despite these operational challenges, air traffic safety remained uncompromised.
Strategic decisions made during the pandemic (such as workforce restructuring and investment in emerging technologies) not only addressed immediate challenges but also strengthened the organisation’s future trajectory. By maintaining a disciplined focus on long-term sustainability, the structural improvements in workforce demographics were preserved and the organisation was positioned for continued innovation in the evolving aviation landscape.
Final Thoughts
The last few years also have demonstrated that resilience is not merely about withstanding disruption but about emerging stronger and more capable of navigating future challenges. This strategy (anchored in strategic foresight, operational discipline, and an unwavering commitment to safety) ensured that Airservices not only survived the crisis but also positioned itself as a more agile and forward-looking organisation.
